


Dance with the Devil

by starlightwasmymother



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Rottenshipping, F/F, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mild Language, More warnings to come if necessary, Other, Slight Shun/Yuto, Violence, definitely some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-08 09:38:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11078940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlightwasmymother/pseuds/starlightwasmymother
Summary: The imprisoned Yuri begins to lose hope of exacting the revenge he desires against the tyrannical Leo Akaba, and with Yuya's mind clouded by the influence of Zarc, Yuya may not be able to defeat him in Yuri's place.Desperate times call for desperate measures, but what might Yuya's world look like without his Fusion Counterpart?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I'm looking for a beta reader for this story. If anyone is interested, please PM me.  
> Also thank you to my many amazing friends that helped me through this writing process as well as listened to me freak out about what I was doing. You guys are the real MVPs.

I didn't care about anyone other than myself. Why should I when people are either spineless and weak or cruel and deceptive? I thought that I was the only person that I could rely on. This worked for me for fourteen years. That's when I saw _him_. The boy with my face that wanted to bring smiles to the world, despite the growing darkness inside him.

 

I was going to convince him to join me, defeat him, fuse with him, create the demon inside us that everyone so deeply feared. The thought of the destruction gave me a sense of spine-tingling need. When I'd been in the xyz dimension, the screams of the populous gave me a high I'd never felt before, better than when I carded people. I wanted more of their fear. I wanted them to fear _me_. It was rare that I felt anything other than a desire for more power, the more victories I had, the more fear I instilled, the more power I felt. I always needed _more_. I trudged through dimensions, kidnapping, carding, mocking, belittling, and I never felt more alive than when I was in control.

 

That bastard Leo got me though. I was on my way to Yuya, and I'd already absorbed Yugo too. I felt more powerful than I had in a long time until I was slammed into that cell. I remembered that cell. I'd spent a lot of time in there as a kid. This time they knocked me out, bound me in chains, and into the tiny impenetrable box I went. I both praised and cursed Leo for getting smarter after my many escape attempts.

 

When I woke up the first thing I felt was anger, raw and consuming. Anger was a friend of mine, like power and control, and I allowed it to fuel me as I fought against my confines. Even with Yugo in sync and riled up as well, there was no way out. The metal rubbed painfully against my skin, heating up with the friction of my struggles. I tried to keep my resolve, the same plan of 'look out for no one but yourself', but I could _feel_ so many emotions and people that I never could before. Even though we weren't joined, I could feel Yuya. Leo was going to kill him and me and anyone else that stood in his way, and that made me feel an emotion I hadn't felt in many years. Sadness.

 

I tried to reach out to Yuya with my mind, warn him of Leo's hidden powers, but those bastards had taken my dragon and... I just couldn't reach. 

 

"We're all going to die." 

 

Yugo seemed to have regained himself slightly, his thoughts lining up with mine as he reached the same realization. I didn't push him down this time. There was no real point. 

 

"If Yuya and Yuto die, we might be able to live," I hissed back. His incessant whining was wearing down my nerves.

 

"Why should they die? The only one of us that deserves punishment is you." He spat the words from within me, pointed in their anger and disgust. I waited for my own anger to rise but none came. Instead I thought back to the first time I got locked in this box. I was six, and I'd lost my first duel. 

 

"You deserve punishment," Leo said. I can still see the marks I had made on the floor, my attempt to keep track of time in here. Each successive punishment had caused me to grow into the bitter creature I am today. My heart was filled with hatred, I could admit to that. I enjoyed the carding and the destruction. Part of me still wanted more destruction, but more than anything my hatred wanted Leo Akaba dead. As much as I valued my life and my goals, I knew I couldn't kill him. He had shaped me into his perfect warrior. I'd be an easy target because Leo spent my whole life instilling in me predictable moves and actions. Perhaps that was done in case I ever rebelled; I'm not sure. His hold on me was something even I couldn't understand, and it was as unbreakable as these blasted chains.

 

But Yuya couldn't defeat him either in this odd, half-possessed state, and I couldn't get to him to make him complete. Since I figured out what we were, the four of us, I wanted nothing more than to merge together and become Zarc. It'd be the ultimate show of power. I could destroy the entire world, every person crying in fear before vanishing from existence. I wanted it _so badly_ , but I wasn't foolish. Forming Zarc at this point was impossible, and having the remnants of him was critically impairing Yuya. Before I could even fully talk out my thoughts, it appeared.

 

The demon was small, looked like a young child, curly red hair and pale skin and freckles. Honestly, I never thought about it but it kind of looked like a young Dennis with tiny horns and a tail. I hoped that was a coincidence.

 

I'd seen him before, numerous times. He fed on my fury, stoked my hatred, and offered me revenge against all who stood in my way. The price was always the same, but I couldn't find a reason to pay such a hefty cost. I turned him down every time, until now.

 

"Yuri. You called?" It's voice was childish and sweet, but I knew better. Yugo was freaking out within me, and I tried to push him to the back of my mind.. There wasn't enough time for me to escape and get to Yuya, and this demon wanted something very specific from me. I might as well get as much as I could out of it.

 

"Are you ready to trade your life for a wish?"

 

"Yes."

 

That shut up banana idiot in my head. The creature looked up at me with a knowing gaze.

 

"And what is worthy of your own life, Yuri?" Its grin was unnerving, the sharp white teeth glistening even in the dim lighting. He was far too excited about this. I thought over my list of demands. If I was going to go out, I was going to go out with a bang. 

 

The two of us communicated without having to say a word. I didn't want anyone to potentially overhear and attempt to stop me. I bartered back and forth, pressing Yugo as far out of my mind as I could. I didn't want his interference either. The demon kept asking for more, and I kept offering. My bare minimums needed to be met.

 

"Anything else?" The creature gave me a sickening smile, sharp teeth gleaming in the dim light. Yugo seemed to be shaking within me. I sighed, irritated, as I weighed more options. "Save those three idiots." It knew what I meant. 

 

 

The demon chuckled. "That's a hefty amount to ask for, don't you think?"

 

"I think I'm rather valuable." I made sure to give him a good smile. Negotiating with demons was mostly about not showing fear. Yugo was trying to butt in so I pushed him out of my mind again. Stupid persistent brat. Negotiations continued, and the price became rather hefty. I thought about it for a moment, trying again to wiggle out of my chains. They were so tight I was losing circulation in my feet and hands. There really was no other way.

 

"Deal." The last thing I heard was a child's maniacal giggling.

 


	2. Chapter 1: Heartlines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the war is heavier than it appears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title based on "Heartlines" by Florence and the Machine  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldw3OT8OI_g

I remember facing Leo Akaba, barely able to contain the darkness inside me. I wanted so badly to duel the way I always had, but the voice whispered to me to obliterate all. In the blink of an eye, the voice was gone, the darkness was gone, my head was clear. Had I defeated it?   
  
Yuto was beside me. Yuto? He'd been in my mind just moments ago. It all happened so fast. He joined the duel, took the penalty, the girls banging on their glass cases calling out to us. Then Yugo was there too. We obliterated Leo, and I felt good. We'd fought fair and together, the impending weight of Zarc completely gone. I won my way, without the anger and demonic presence I was had.  
  
Then Leo stumbled and fell back into his contraption. There was a flicker, an electric roar before the power went out. Silence.  
  
The machine was down, and the girls were free. We had won the war, all the things we'd worked so hard for had come together. It almost seemed to good to be true. Reiji and Reira went over to check on Leo while Yuzu, Rin, and Ruri rushed up to us. Yugo swung Rin in circles while she yelled at him for taking so long. Yuto and Ruri were crying. I held Yuzu so tight she had to push me off so she could breathe. We laughed.  
  
Serena came over too, albeit more slowly than the others. She gave me one of the most sincere smiles I'd ever seen on her.  
  
"Thank you, Yuya, for saving me." I hugged her too, weary of Yuzu's potential jealousy. I didn't really want to get smacked in the head with a fan today. It had been a while since my biggest worry was Yuzu's fan, and it felt liberating for this nightmare to come to an end. Life was normal except with a few more people by my side than before. Now all we had to do was clean-up.   
  
Edo and Kaito went to figure out how to operate the machine to free the people who were carded, Yuto and Ruri went to find Shun. Serena, knowing the school layout better than all of us, went with Yugo and Rin to do a sweep of the premises, see who needed immediate medical help, and get them to a proper hospital.  
  
That left Reiji, Reira, my dad, and me. Most of the scientists that I had seen working on the world transfer had accompanied Edo to the card reversal machinery. My dad spoke softly to Yuzu, making sure she felt okay and had no injuries. Everything felt so distant, so perfectly dreamlike.  
  
"Yuya." Reiji calmly summoned me away from my stupor. I felt a small sense of dread as I approached.  
  
"Leo Akaba is dead."  
  
Had I... killed him? I didn't mean to! I just wanted to save the girls, and he fell off the platform. I didn't want this to happen this way! Reiji placed his hand on my shoulder, watching me freak out.  
  
"It's okay, Yuya. It was an accident. Besides, the things he did were unforgivable. No one will blame you." He nodded to me before joining my father and Yuzu. Reira gave me a small hug before chasing after him. It was little comfort in this moment. Just because no one would blame me didn't mean I wouldn't blame myself.

Even though it had only been a month since it ended, the whole war felt like some distant nightmare that I'd finally woken up from. The Lancers all came back to Standard and returning homw was such a relief that I sobbed the moment I saw my mom. After that there was a week of questions, damage control, finding out how much the public should know. There were a lot of Lancer meetings, Reiji coaching us on what we should and shouldn't inform people of. Then there were the interviews. I unfortunately became the face of the Lancers and had to relive the tale time and time again for newspapers, television shows, random strangers that would never understand what any of us had truly been through. Despite extensive research, Reiji was never able to find an explanation for the disappearance of Zarc within Yuto, Yugo, and I, but I wasn't going to complain. I was just glad to be home and no longer worried about the demonic ticking time bomb that had overtaken me so many times. Perhaps I could finally relax.  
  
But I came home different. My parents could quickly tell that the weight of the war had taken a toll on my mental state, and after much debate, I was put into therapy. Besides the guilt of killing Leo and being Zarc, other things haunted my dreams. My therapist suggested I keep a journal, and I tried to remember to write in it every day. I forgot a lot but I did what I could.  
  
For the time being, Yugo and Sora were living at my house. Rin and Serena were living with Yuzu. I knew Reiji was able to find an apartment for Shun, Ruri, and Yuto. He managed to convince them to hold off on returning to Heartland, considering they needed to go to school, and he wasn't going to let them escape that. Shun surprisingly obliged, though they tended to visit Heartland a few times a month. Yugo seemed happy living with us as long as he could go see Rin. Everyone's spirits were a bit higher, relieved that this insane multi-dimensional war was finally over despite the large amount of cleanup that was left. After a few therapy sessions, even I felt a bit of weight lift off my chest.

***  
It was about two months after the war that I started to question a few things. It still bothered me that Zarc had just vanished. I was worried he could return at any moment, and I had no way of knowing if that was possible. I didn't _feel_ him within me anymore but I also didn't know what kind of miracle had freed me of him. I wondered if he tormented someone else, but both Yugo and Yuto couldn't feel him either. It wouldn't make much sense for him to connect to anyone other than the three of us. Outside of that, I noticed that there were three of us, but four counterparts of Yuzu. At first I thought nothing of it, but as time went by I found myself wondering why I didn't have a fusion counterpart.

  
One Saturday morning I found myself waiting outside Reiji's office, the questions in my mind becoming overwhelming. I needed answers and I figured if anyone had them it had to be Reiji. Not surprisingly, he was already in his office and ushered me in. I awkwardly sat in the chair in front of his desk and practiced the wording of my questions in my head. He was surprisingly intimidating this early in the morning.  
  
"Yuya." His tone of voice was a bit less cold than his facial expression at least. "What can I help you with?"  
  
"I have questions." I blurted out, sounding far more demanding than I meant to. That seemed to amuse him a bit as he flashed a small smile.  
  
"Don't we all?"  
  
"How did Zarc just vanish?" This caught him off guard, but he quickly recovered.  
  
"Honestly Yuya I looked into it for weeks, but I could find no logical explanation for his disappearance."  
  
"What about illogical reasons?"   
  
He laughed. "Well those are, of course, endless, but of no real concern to me. Have you been feeling his presence again?" He looked concerned.  
  
"No and that's just it. I don't feel any remnants, not even when I'm furious. I've talked to Yugo and Yuto and they haven't felt anything either. It's like he was never there."  
  
"Interesting. I'm not going to complain though. The timing was perfect."  
  
Mentioning my counterparts made me remember my other question. This one was more difficult to word. "Why don't I have a fusion counterpart? Yuzu has one."  
  
He pondered this for a moment. "I never really thought about it. Perhaps Zarc only split into three. Perhaps my father killed him many years ago."  
  
"Don't you think he would've mentioned that?"  
  
"There's a lot of things he didn't mention," he said darkly, his hand clenching a bit. I left that part alone.  
  
"So there's no chance I have a missing counterpart?" Then what was this feeling that something wasn't right? That someone wasn't there?  
  
"If you had, we would have found him by now." His face softened. "You have enough to worry about without focusing on that. Let's just be thankful we all came back in one piece, hmm?"  
  
That was his way of telling me to let it go. I thanked him and headed back home, hoping that those answers would be sufficient.

***  
The next few months floated by pretty quickly. We all started school again, and I was getting accustomed to no longer being an only child. In my spare time I dueled, both for fun and in competitions and tournaments. I tried not to let the war ruin dueling for me. Yugo was working on building his own motorcycle, often times just sleeping in our garage. That worked out well because we only had one guest room, which became Sora's bedroom.  
  
Sometimes when I slept, I'd dream of Leo Akaba's face as he fell to his death. Sometimes I'd dream other people's dreams. I dreamed of the destruction of Heartland, being an orphan in the Synchro dimension, seeing Rin get kidnapped.  
  
Wait. When I wrote about that one in my journal, I realized someone had grabbed her. Obviously. But who? I felt like I knew the answer, but I couldn't remember it. I tried not to bother Rin with such traumatic memories, but curiosity got the better of me and before I could stop myself, I approached her after school.  
  
"Hey Yuya. What's up?" She gave me a smile and I couldn't help but think of Yuzu. The thought calmed me a bit.  
  
"I had a question for you but I don't want to bring up such dark times," I said sheepishly. Maybe this had been a bad idea.  
  
"It's okay, Yuya. What's your question?" She looked a bit concerned, knowing I'd been having a hard time.  
  
"Who kidnapped you?" I didn't want to draw this out. I knew it'd be hard enough to talk about without me beating around the bush.   
  
She thought about it for a before her brow furrowed and she bit her lip. "I... I don't remember. That's odd."  
  
So she couldn't remember either. That meant something but what? Or was it a coincidence. It had been a rather terrifying experience and combined with the brainwashing it wasn't absurd to think her memories got a bit scrambled.  
  
I thanked her and gave her a quick hug, trying not to prolong the less than pleasant thoughts for her. Yugo was headed thus way so at least he'd be a distraction. With no more answers than I had before, I reluctantly headed home.

***  
Another month passed and Mom reminded me that my birthday was coming up again. It snuck up on me last year, happening shortly after we returned from the Fusion dimension.  I know she wanted to give me more of a celebration this year. Moms have this way of knowing when their kids are struggling with things and I really think she had noticed my frustration with both dreams and unanswered questions lately. Thankfully, she hadn't asked for specifics yet because I didn't know exactly how to explain my thoughts.  
  
She was thrilled about having so many birthdays to celebrate. To make things easier, Yuto and Yugo chose their own birthdays at different times of the year. Surpringly, we'd all been celebrating different birthdays up until this point anyway. Mine was in late May. Dad promised to be home for the party, which overjoyed me. I hadn't really spent a birthday with him in years. He was in and out this year, spending a lot of time helping rebuild both Heartland and restore Academia with Asuka. I couldn't help but feel jealous that he spent so much time helping rebuild other worlds, which was really selfish of me, but I wanted my dad's help to rebuild myself too. Because of all the constant confusion running through my head, I rarely reached out to him.  
  
"Sweet sixteen! Are you excited honey?" Mom passed me the syrup as Sora and Yugo devoured their own helpings of pancakes. I hadn't felt very hungry the last few days, but I didn't want to worry Mom. I picked at my food and forced myself to eat a few bites. My party was tomorrow, and I wasn't really in the mood to celebrate.  
  
"Of course, Mom. Thanks for going through all the trouble of planning it for me."   
  
She gave me a suspicious look. I guess I didn't sound convincing enough.   
  
"You may not be my _only_ son anymore, but you're still my precious Yuya. It's no trouble at all! I remember my sweet sixteen..." She stared off into the distance, a twinkle in her eyes. I couldn't help but laugh at that. At least with my world constantly changing, Mom was still herself. As the three of us finished getting ready for school, I managed to find some time alone with Yugo.  
  
"Hey I have a crazy question."  
  
"Mm?" He mumbled, toothbrush still hanging out of his mouth.  
  
"You were there when Rin was kidnapped, right?"   
  
His eyes darkened a bit, his facial expression hardening. "Yeah." He was thinking back to it.  
  
"Who kidnapped her?"  
  
He gave me an odd look, as if I was asking the stupidest question in the world. "Hunh? Why is it important now?"  
  
"I'm just curious." I knew I was pushing buttons but I needed this answer. Slowly, he calmed down, thinking on it as he finished brushing his teeth.  
  
"I don't know. I think the person wore a cloak. I thought I saw their face but... for some reason I don't remember." His serious expression seemed to fade as he wiped the foamy toothpaste from around his mouth. "It's been over a year. Maybe I forgot because I never want to think about it again. After all, Rin is safe and the war is over." He pushed past me on his way out of the bathroom. I knew at that point the conversation was over. There was something bothering me though. I remember not long after I encountered Yugo he said something like 'I'll never forgive him and I'll never forget that crazy grin on his face.' Trying to piece this all together was starting to drive me insane and I really just wanted the thoughts to be gone.

I attempted to keep my conversation with Yugo from eating away at me, but as classes flew by I couldn't help but further ponder his words. I was unable to shake the feeling that my memories didn't match up with what he was telling me, but I was positive Yugo wasn't lying to me. Though he was forgetful, I was pretty certain this wasn't something he'd let fade so easily. After all, Yugo was pretty good about holding grudges against anyone who hurt Rin.

My only other option was to ask Ruri, Shun, and Yuto if they'd seen anything the night that Ruri was taken. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared of Shun's reaction to me pestering his sister with these sorts of questions though. Maybe that was a bad idea, but Yuto was approachable. I could start by asking him, and maybe he could ask Ruri in secret and report back to me. I felt pretty ridiculous for obsessing over potential answers, but these thoughts weren't going to leave me alone until I could piece everything together.

Yuya: Yuto, can i ask you a question you wont like?

Yuto: Sure.

It was so hard to read him through messages, and that drove me insane.

Yuya: Do u remember who took Ruri?

There was no response for almost ten minutes. I was starting to worry that I'd made him angry.

Yuto: I thought I did, but it won't come to me. Was it Serena?

Serena had taken Yuzu, but I was pretty sure she hadn't taken anyone else.

Yuya: I dont think so

Yuto: Dennis?

That was distinctly possible. I'm pretty sure it had been a guy.

Yuya: Maybe. U think u can ask ruri tonight without shun getting mad?

Yuto: Why is this so important?

I could tell I was on thin ice with him, but I continued on regardless.

Yuya: Because no one can remember and thats weird

I might as well be up front about my motives. Yuto was pretty good at reading me, probably because we'd shared a body for so long. The thought of that was still a bit strange to me.

Yuto: That is very strange indeed. I will ask her while Shun is at work. If she gets upset, I won't press the matter.

That was fair. At least he was going to try. I hoped I'd have more luck with Ruri than I'd had with everyone else.

Yuya: Thanks yuto this is super important to me

***  
It was a humid night in late May when my party rolled around. I found that, despite my own troubles, I was surrounded by friends and family wishing me the best for my sixteenth year of life. It was meaningful and honestly very kind of them, but my mind was still on the past. The more time passed, the more I felt unable to move foraward. Thankfully, I was still pretty good at putting on a face. A majority of the guests laughed at my stories of action duels where I'd grabbed the wrong card, or fallen off my hippo, any light-hearted humor like that. We discussed the few tournaments I'd been in lately, though I quickly steered the conversation away from that. Everyone wanted to know if I was entering this year's Maiami Championship. I wasn't sure if I honestly wanted to yet, but I didn't have a good reason as to why. As usual, I was able to wave those questions off with a laugh and a smile too. After the big moments of me blowing out candles and Mom cutting the cake, everyone began to eat and intermingle. It was about two hours into the party that I finally found a moment to escape out back into Mom's garden. When I was a kid, I'd go out here to think, focus, reflect. It was peaceful and very calming. I needed that right now.  


I let the thick air fill my lungs in gasping breaths, holding back tears of pure frustration. I let myself smile, but pulled my goggles over my face just in case. I almost didn't hear the footsteps behind me, but some instincts had sharpened during the war and never faded. I turned suddenly, arm held out. It was Dad. I probably looked like a moron. 

  
He pointed out to the yard where a hundred tiny blinking lights flickered on and off in what reminded me of a choreographed star dance. I smiled despite myself.  
  
"Look Yuya, even the fireflies are celebrating you."  
  
I slowly removed my goggles, my eyes thankfully still dry. Even at sixteen, fireflies never ceased to amaze me. I remember catching them with Dad when I was little. He also taught me to let them go.  
  
' _If you keep them too long, they can't shine freely_.'  
It's something that had never left my mind.  
  
"Your mom told me you've been having a hard time. What's on your mind?" He flashed me his famous smile as encouragement before sitting down next to me.  
  
I pondered it for a bit, whether or not to tell him the things that were plaguing me. On one hand it would feel amazing to get it all off my chest. On the other hand, where did I even start? The feelings I had weren't easy to put into words, which made them even more frustrating. I gave an angry huff that sounded a lot like Shun. That made me crack another smile.  
  
"Dad... I..." How do I even word this? "I have so many unanswered questions about what happened in the Fusion dimension last year. I can't seem to get past the confusion, and it's been eating away at me. Something feels out of place, like something's missing." It wasn't the exact description of my feelings, but it was about as close as I could get without tearing up in frustration.  
  
Dad placed a hand on my shoulder, and sighed. "What happened during the war was confusing to everyone. The fact that we all made it home was nothing short of a miracle." Reiji had said something similar. "I know this might be hard to accept right now, but some questions aren't meant to have answers. Instead of reflecting too much on the past, keep moving forward and following your heart. Bring smiles to the world, just like you've been doing all this time. I'm proud of you, Yuya. Your mom and I love you so much, and we're so very proud."  
  
I couldn't stop the tears then, but they were happy tears. Tears of relief like a burden had been lifted off my chest. Dad hugged me tight and let me get the choking sobs out of my system. When I finally regained composure, he pulled back and gave me another smile.  
  
"You should come enjoy your party. I'm sure your guests miss you."

That night I fell asleep with a newfound hope for my future and the reminder that life went on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, a number of things came up. It's moving a bit slow, but I'm trying to make sure the set-up is complete and consistent. Also, I plan on adding song links for every chapter because I've made a playlist for this story like the nerd trash I am.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for the read!

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, this is my first fic in a number of years. Feedback is greatly appreciated! I plan on updating rather frequently since I have the first few chapters nearly done, but I don't want to give a definite time of updates. Perhaps after a few chapters I can add an update schedule.
> 
> Thank you so much for the read!


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